AKMA's Random Thoughts

March 29, 2004

How Was Your Weekend?

Ummm. . . . wild.

The short version runs this way: The Lessig Audiobook project took off with much more energy than I anticipated when I drifted off to sleep Friday night. After a frenzy of offers, suggestions, inquiries, and updates, the following have developed:

Dave Winer has archived a heap o’ files, which he lists in his comment to the previous progress report.

Eric Rice has archived another heap at his place.

A. J. Wright has arranged that SunSite at archive the audiobook, too.

Doug Kaye has posted a segment of IT Conversations on the project, including interviews with Larry Lessig and Simon Carless (of LegalTorrents and Archive.org.

Hats off to everyone who’s taken part, whether by reading, hosting, downloading, encouraging, linking, promoting, or just reading with interest. We still need versions of chapters Six, Ten, Thirteen, Fourteen, and the Afterword (as well as the extremely brief introductory sections to the “Property,” “Balance,” and “Afterword” sections.

I’d like to take note of a point Doug made, and ask that readers and (if possible) custodians add to the ID3 Comment field a note that says something such as, ”Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig, published by Penguin Books, distributed under a Creative Commons license . Chapter read by Suw Charman (or whomever).” We want not only to acknowledge Prof. Lessig’s work and Penguin Books’ courageous foresight, but also to underline the Creative Commons’s role in promoting a free culture.

[Later]: For some reason, the edit window of Moveable Type doesn’t want me to alter the main post from several days ago any more. Here’s the lineup of chapter files from the sources at which I last knew of them.

Preface: Kevin Marks, available here

Introduction: Raph Levien, available here

Intro to the “Piracy” section (thanks for noticing this!): Chris Farmer, available here

Chapter 1: Doug Kaye (download it here already! And it’s terrific), George’s version here (I’m glad they took this chapter; I’m not ready to try to pronounce doujinshi.)

Chapter 2: Victoria and A. J. Wright available here

Chapter 3: Victoria and A. J. Wright Now available here.

Chapter 4: Eric Rice (may be able to help with hosting), Adam Brault available here

Chapter 5: AKMA here it is

Chapter 6: Les Hall, Guan Yang (available here), and Adam Brault (available here)

Chapter 7: Michael Shook (probably can’t host) Available here.

Introduction to Property Section: Adam Brault, available here, Raph Levien available here.

Chapter 8: Suw Charman available here

Chapter 9: Tara now available here, Chuck Welch

Chapter 10: Giles Hoover

Chapter 11: Neel (can probably host it), Dave Winer (available now, here!)

Chapter 12: Dave Winer, available here

Intro to Balances: Raph Levien, here

Chapter 13: George and Jeneane Sesssum, available here

Chapter 14: Ted Fletcher, available here and David Weinberger, here

Conclusion: Enoch Choi, available here

Afterword: Linda and George, available here, and Tim Samoff, available here

Posted by AKMA at March 29, 2004 09:45 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I've updated the originals of chapters 7 and 14 as suggested using ID3v2 They are at the same URLs:

http://showcase.netins.net/web/birchbark/lessig/freeCultureChapter07.mp3

http://showcase.netins.net/web/birchbark/lessig/freeCultureChapter14.mp3

Posted by: Michael Shook at March 29, 2004 12:04 PM

I'm going to try to record the Afterword tonight/tomorrow.

Posted by: timsamoff at March 29, 2004 02:27 PM

Two-page introduction to the Property section now posted (2.4M mp3). I've also posted the .ogg, which is comparable in encoding quality and weighs in at a mere 1.8M.

Is this where we're supposed to post links to newly recorded sections? I'm a little confused.

Posted by: Raph Levien at March 29, 2004 02:34 PM

Ok, I've just posted the two page intro to the Balances (2M mp3, or 1.5M ogg).

I find it very difficult to decide what to read. Just about every part has been spoken for in some way. A decision to read a section feels like stepping on someone's toes - if they haven't posted it yet, it feels like calling into question their word. If they have, it feels like calling into question the quality of their work.

But obviously we're still learning how to do this. I'm excited at the results so far, and look forward to even more.

Posted by: Raph Levien at March 29, 2004 03:31 PM

Looks like all the chapters are done now? I guess I'm a bit late... specially as I need to hop to bed right now.

This reminds me of a blind student I knew who had trouble finding people to read-record his books for him. I think what's happening here is just great! I hope we'll see many more CC books in the future -- so maybe I'll get a chance to read a chapter, too ;-)

Posted by: Steph at March 29, 2004 04:32 PM

Steph, Raph, and all--

Don't for a moment hesitate to read any part of the book for us; some will want to compare versions, some versions will never get finished, and everyone benefits from broader, fuller participation.

If Alexander reads a chapter, it doesn't pre-empt Bonnie from reading it; but if neither Carlos nor Donna posts a chapter (because each thinks the other will), we’re all less well off. Have at it, and we’ll sort out the bits and pieces later.

Posted by: AKMA at March 29, 2004 05:21 PM

we're working on it! Really!

Posted by: jeneane at March 30, 2004 12:45 AM

I've got almost half of the Afterword finished... Man, it's taking longer than I thought!

Hopefully, I'll have it finished tonight. Uploaded tomorrow.

Posted by: timsamoff at March 30, 2004 07:14 AM

Timaasmoff--I KNOW! Isn't it something? We've been working on chap 13 for TWO DAYS (nights). AAAhhh! almost there too.....

AKMA, is anyone doing a living page/site that will list the chaps, etc.... so that we can send links to them once the files are up?

zzzzzzzz

j.

Posted by: jeneane at March 30, 2004 10:14 PM

Mine's up now. Chapter four was fun! Here is my mirror of all the files... am I missing some? Okay, so who wants to do a Doctorow book next? :-)

Posted by: Eric Rice at March 31, 2004 05:08 AM

Update regarding Chap 10 here.

Sorry to take so long! Audacity did not work, and crashed repeatedly -- taking my work with it. Had to start again. Now am editing. Soon. Promise.

Posted by: Giles Hoover at March 31, 2004 11:23 AM

I recorded chapter 13 - it's at:

http://offshore.iolaire.com/audio/chapter13s.mp3

Size: 25MB.
Time: 72mins.

Posted by: iolaire at March 31, 2004 11:36 AM

Just the hyperlinks, consolidated into an "m3u" playlist:

http://www.grumet.net/weblog/archives/lessig-freeculture.m3u

To keep things simple I included just one version of each chapter, using the first direct mp3 link under each chapter.

Posted by: Andrew Grumet at March 31, 2004 08:56 PM

I have created a playlist version here:
http://webjay.org/by/lucas_gonze/lessigfreecultureaudiobookproject

That is similar to Andrew Grumet's M3U, except that it's freely editable, so people can swap in their own preferred version of each chapter. (Also, it can be in SMIL or ASX as well as M3U).

Posted by: Lucas Gonze at April 3, 2004 02:37 PM

I'm looking for Chapter 10, where can I download it?

Posted by: ethan at April 23, 2004 12:56 AM

Chapter 12 can also be found here:

Chapter 12

Posted by: Ed at April 29, 2004 02:56 PM